Twisted Fate (Twisted Fate Series Book 1) Read online

  Twisted

  FATE

  emery jacobs

  Copyright © 2016 by Emery Jacobs

  Twisted Fate

  All rights reserved.

  This book is an original work of fiction. All of the names, characters, sponsors and events are a product of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Any similarities to actual events, incidences, persons, deceased or living is strictly coincidental. Any opinions expressed in the book or solely those of the authors. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

  ISBN: 978-0-9974115-08 (Ebook)

  ISBN: 978-0-9974115-1-5 (Printed)

  Published in the United States of America

  Ebooks are non-transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction of distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher/author’s permission. This book may not be sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase another copy for each person. Criminal copyright infringement including infringement without monetary gain is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of 250,000. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without permission of Emery Jacobs.

  Editing & Formatting: Rogena Mitchell-Jones, RMJ Manuscript Service, LLC

  Proofreading: Terrie Meerschaert, Indie Editing Services

  Cover Design: Amy Queau, QDesigns

  Front Cover Model: Drew Truckle

  Photographer: Eric Battershell Photography

  Back Cover Model: Rainy Wilson

  Photographer: Mandy Hollis Photography

  DISCLAIMER: Due to sexual situations and language,

  this book is intended for readers 18 and over.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Note from the author

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Connect with Emery

  For the only person who has the ability to deal with me on a daily basis and still love me. Thank you for your support and encouragement—because without it, I would never accomplish anything.

  Losing our way,

  searching vainly for more,

  vanity makes us ebb outward,

  until our love drifts ashore.

  ~Alex Maxwell, 2016

  Prologue

  Seven Years Earlier

  Jack

  My hands are trembling as I slowly lower the handle to open the door to Kappa Sig’s biggest party of the semester. I stumble over the threshold and maneuver my way through the crowd of drunks in search of Piper’s long blonde hair. Unfortunately, I think every girl here may be blonde. And then I see her. Maddie Foster. Piper’s best friend and a complete fucking bitch. I move toward her until I’m close enough to grab her wrist. She spins around—takes one look at my face and her smile immediately fades.

  “Where is she, Maddie?”

  “Where is who, Jack?” She smirks.

  I squeeze my eyes shut and silently count to ten. I do this to keep from knocking that smart-ass look off her face. I know she’s a chick, and I would never hit her, but she’s made it her mission over the last year to piss me off every chance she gets.

  “So are you meditating now… in hopes of envisioning her exact location?” She laughs.

  I clench my teeth as I pull her in closer. “I’m not in the mood to play games with you tonight. Tell me where Piper is.”

  “What makes you think I know? I am not her keeper.” She rolls her eyes and pulls her wrist from my grip.

  “I know she’s here. So take your damn phone out and send her a warning. Let her know the bullshit ends tonight!”

  “Wow, Jack. I didn’t know you had it in you to be so possessive. I have to say I’m more than impressed. Maybe even a little turned on.” She winks and then leans over toward the girl standing next to her. They both laugh. She takes a couple of steps toward the crowd, and I watch her hand move toward her back pocket. She pulls out her phone, and then I know. I know Piper is here with him.

  She’s quickly lost in the crowd, so I return my focus on finding my girlfriend. Looking over my shoulder, I notice the staircase I’ve been avoiding since walking through the front door—because up those stairs is the last place I want to find her. I drag my hand through my hair and take a deep breath. I put one foot in front of the other as I make myself trudge up each step. When I reach the top, I turn slightly to see Maddie standing at the bottom peering up at me. Her eyes are dark and she’s moving her head from side to side. Ignoring her plea, my eyes return to the empty hallway in front of me. Shuffling slowly, I stop in front of each door. Leaning in, I bring my ear close to listen for voices. One room, two rooms, three rooms and nothing. My heart rate increases with each stop I make. When I reach the last door on the right, I hear a voice. Her voice. Piper.

  Even though I knew what I might find tonight, I’m still not prepared to hear her moaning behind the closed door. I take a deep breath before placing my hand on the knob. Turning it slightly to the right, I push open the door. My body freezes as heat rises to my face. The image in front of me will be forever imprinted in my mind. Piper’s naked body is straddling some guy, and she’s rocking her hips back and forth. Her body quivers just before she throws her head back and screams his name.

  “Caleb!”

  Mother. Fucking. Caleb. And I lose it.

  Chapter 1

  Present Day

  Jovie

  My eyes flutter open, and I roll over to escape the blinding sunlight seeping through the window shades. I stare at the bright red blinking numbers before I make a quick scan of the room. Black dresser, cluttered night stand, beige lamp, hunter green walls… a body lying next to me. Shit. This is not my bed, not my room.

  I jolt up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. I must have fallen asleep. Crap. Now it’s daylight, and I know my dad’s awake. If he looks in my room before he leaves for work, I’m so freaking busted.

  “Jovie, what the hell are you doing?” I glance over my shoulder at Liam’s messy brown hair and questioning gray eyes.

  “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m leaving. It’s six o’clock in the morning. Can’t believe you let me fall asleep here last night.”

  “I guess my farewell fuck was a bit m
uch, uh? Too tired to crawl out of bed and hurry home like a good little girl.”

  He wraps his arms around my waist as he pulls me into his warm naked body. Any other time, the warmth of his skin and hardness of his body would be a welcoming feeling. But not now. Not today. I have too much shit swirling through my mind. And right now, it’s all about me getting through my bedroom window without getting caught.

  “Wanna go for round… five or is it six?” He chuckles.

  “No. Let go of me.” I grab his hands and pry his fingers apart.

  “Look, Liam, I’m serious. I’ve got to go. Please, just let me leave.”

  Over the past year, Liam has been my dedicated booty call, but last night was the final page of the book of this so-called relationship. Today, I’m heading out of this Podunk town that I’ve called home for the last seven years. Brownsboro, Georgia. No thanks. This depressing little town of twelve-hundred poor souls will never be graced with my presence again.

  “Fine. Get dressed—I’ll take you home.” He rolls over, gets out of bed, and grabs his jeans off the floor.

  “No, you can’t. My dad usually leaves for work at this time. What if he sees us? I can’t chance it.”

  I have to get the hell out of here before I have a complete meltdown. After jumping out of bed, and throwing on my shorts and t-shirt, I tread into the adjoining bathroom. One look in the mirror says it all. Knotted hair with a whole lot of frizz paired with smudged mascara and a— “Liam!”

  “What’s the problem now?” he steps behind me and our eyes meet in the mirror.

  “Is this a hickey on my neck?” With a shaky hand, I point to the red mark just below my earlobe.

  “Damn, Jovie. You need to chill. You’re nineteen and leaving for college in about four hours. So, if you get caught… big fucking deal. Does it really matter? What are your parents gonna do? Absolutely. Nothing. And no, that’s not a hickey.”

  He licks his finger and runs it across my neck removing the red—lipstick. I’m such an idiot. I turn to face him, placing my hands on his cheeks. He covers my hands with his as he pulls me in for a quick kiss on the forehead.

  I take a deep breath and look into his gray eyes before saying, “Does it matter? Yes, it matters very much. My parents think I’m perfect. That’s the only reason they’re allowing me to go to school twelve hours away. If they realize I’m not, then they may not let me go. And that’s not an option.”

  “I hate to shatter your beliefs, my little rule breaker, but your parents know you’re not entirely perfect. No one is. It is unrealistic to even go there. Because it does nothing but cause this.” He nods his head toward me, indicating my current state of disarray. “You scream—nervous breakdown—and I don’t want that for you. I know why you’re leaving and I understand. But I hope being away from this town and your parents is really all that you expect it to be.”

  “Wow, Liam. What a great inspirational before you go speech. Now I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Seriously, I appreciate you trying to talk me out of falling apart, but really, I’m good. No more meltdowns for this girl.”

  I wrap my arms around his neck pulling him in for a hug. He means well and I’m gonna miss him, but we both knew this day was coming. And neither of us is heartbroken. We’ve had so much fun. Spending time with him has made me a better person. He’s a great guy. Just not my forever guy.

  He pulls back from the hug and looks into my eyes before he rewards me with a sly grin.

  “Let’s get you home so you can get your car loaded up. I know you’re ready to get on the road to your future.”

  “Thanks. You’re the best.”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  He wraps his arm around my waist leading us out of the bedroom toward the front door.

  As Liam inches his truck toward my driveway, I stretch my neck out the window to look for my dad’s police cruiser. Being the Police Chief’s daughter doesn’t make my life any easier. And I know Liam is quite fearful of my dad. Considering he is the youngest officer the Brownsboro Police Department has on its force. He faces my dad daily—with our little secret. So bringing me home in broad daylight is an honorable move on his part. Because my dad wouldn’t hesitate to slap on the cuffs, throw him in the back of his car, and haul him off to jail.

  “He’s already gone. So you can stop at the end of the driveway.”

  He pumps the brakes gently until his truck comes to a complete stop. I lean over and press my mouth to his. His tongue moves along the seam of my lips wanting more. I open my mouth slightly to take one last piece of him. His tongue caresses mine gently before he moves his hands behind my head and pulls me closer. The kiss is flawless. It’s the good and the bad of the last year rolled into one heartfelt moment. He lets out a deep moan, and I know I have to stop before this gets out of hand. I pull my lips from his and stare into his eyes.

  “We can’t,” I whisper.

  “I know, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to,” he waggles his eyebrows. Damn, this boy is all kinds of cute and sexy. He’ll have another late-night booty call lined up before I make it to the interstate.

  “I’m leaving now. Remember, we promised no long goodbyes. It’s not necessary. You’re an amazing guy with entirely too much to offer. I’m a tormented soul clawing her way to independence. And we will find our happy place. Just not together.” I smile.

  I’m not worried about my decision because somehow, I know everything is going to be okay.

  I grab the door handle just as I hear him say, “See you around, Jovie.”

  I glance over my shoulder to get one last look at my past.

  “Yeah, see ya around, Liam.” Climbing out of the truck, I turn toward my house and say a silent prayer that my mom is still asleep. I quickly make my way toward my bedroom window.

  My lips curl into a smile, and for the very first time in what seems like forever, I’m truly happy. Because in a few short hours, I will be free from my parents, from this town, and from the memories of the reason we ended up in this shithole in the first place.

  Chapter 2

  Jovie

  Leaving might be more difficult than I initially thought. My mom is leaning against the back door with tears flowing freely, and my dad hasn’t even bothered to show up for good-byes.

  “Stop,” my best friend Layla says.

  “Stop what?”

  “Feeling guilty, having second thoughts—you know, all that shit that’s going on in here.” She pats the top of my head with her hand.

  Layla has been my best friend since the day I moved to Brownsboro. When I arrived in this shitty little town, I had no one. My mom had decided to coil up into a shell and not let anyone in. My dad immersed himself in his new job. And me, well, I was so lost from reality because I had been yanked from the only life I’d ever known. There was no one to guide me and give me what I needed to survive.

  Layla found me that first day… sitting on a bench in the park across the street from my house. My head hung low and tears were streaming down my face. Most twelve-year-old girls would have been embarrassed, but I was too consumed with sadness to care. She offered me her friendship that day, and I accepted it like a starving man who was offered a single slice of bread. I craved her kindness, and that’s what she gave me. I was grateful then and even more so now. We were both just kids at the time, but she was there. Always there. And that’s what I needed.

  “I’m fine, really. I just need to get out of here. This is too damn depressing. It’s almost as if I’ve been thrown back in time to the day we left Houston to move here. All the fucking crying from my mom and my dad being… well… unavailable.”

  Layla grabs my last suitcase and shoves it into the trunk of my car. There’s no room left for anything but our two bodies in the front seat. When I decided to go to school twelve hours away at the University of Houston, Layla was right there with me. I think secretly she’d wanted to leave Brownsboro too, but she couldn’t admit it until I convinced her to come along. Her parents
have been so supportive of her decision and helped both of us in this little dream of mine. Her mom took us to Houston last month to tour the campus, find an apartment, and a job. Lucky for us, her mom has a good friend who owns a sports bar and grill. So, that’s where we will be working. My life is coming together. Or I guess I could say full circle. I’m going back to the place where it began.

  “Yeah, but that’s not the case. Today you’re going back to the place you love so much. And I get to go with you!” she squeals.

  “Hey, you. Gonna give your mom a hug?”

  My mom approaches me with a freshly washed face and not a tear in sight. God, she’s really trying. I lean into her as she wraps her arms around my waist. I return the hug trying to be careful not to squeeze her frail body too hard.

  “Please be safe. Don’t make your father and me regret our decision to let you go,” she says.

  I take a deep breath and ponder how I should respond. I want to tell her it’s not their decision to make, and I would have gone without their blessing. But I don’t because I want to leave on good terms with my parents.

  “I promise to be safe, Mom.” She nods and gives me her famous half smile.

  “Your dad isn’t going to be able to make it. There was an emergency so he had to go out on a call.” An emergency in this town. Right.

  “I need to see him, Mom. I have to tell him good-bye. Call him. Please.” Holy Crap. Why am I freaking out? Calm down, Jovie.

  “What if something happens, and I never get to tell him good-bye?”

  My heart rate picks up as my chest tightens. A second later, my entire body is tingling. It’s only panic. Take a deep breath. Nothing will happen to him or me. Damn. I hate the idea of losing control, but the panic comes from nowhere. It creeps up and grabs hold of my body. But I refuse to take medication like my mom just so I can keep my shit together.

  “Jovie, sweetheart, your dad isn’t avoiding saying good-bye. There’s a fire down at the old Flea Market. He had no choice but to go.”